Academic: Professors Must Prevent 'Assimilation' Of 'Whiteness'

‘Preservation of Whiteness’ detrimental to students of color, says professor

An academic paper published by the SIT Graduate Institute calls on educators to “promote racial identity exploration” so that students of color do not “assimilate” into the dominant culture.

The author, Hadiel Mohamed, says her research “aims to answer how educators can incorporate ethnic/racial identity development in the classroom for youth of color who are driven to pursue Whiteness,” making clear as she goes along that she views “assimilation” as an unambiguously negative outcome.

“Historically, our education system has been used as an oppressive tool for people of color,” she contends, attributing the condition to “the lack of representation within adults, distance caused by one-sided material, denial of racial tensions or experiences, and implicit bias from educators, classmates, and administration.”

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